Ryan says signing Sendejo mere coincidence

IRVING – Jets coach Rex Ryan scoffed at the notion that the Jets signed former Cowboys safety Andrew Sendejo solely to gain inside poop on his former team.

Asked if he’s received a scouting report from the former Smithson Valley standout, Ryan joked in a conference call with the Dallas media Wednesday, “Oh, yeah, absolutely. Yeah, we do. We are working on that as we talk right now.”

The Jets signed Sendejo after the Cowboys let him go in their cut down to 53 players. Ryan said the Jets first start eyeing Sendejo during the 2010 draft. The Rice alum went undrafted, played a season in the NFL and then signed with the Cowboys last November.

“Mike Tannenbaum, our general manager, does a great job of targeting guys,” Ryan said. “We tried to bring (Sendejo) in last year – we also wanted to sign him. We think he’s got some of the characteristics we like in a safety – he’s smart, he’s tough, he’s athletic. And we have a couple of our safeties are unsigned. We only have two that will be under contract next year. We obviously hope to get Jim Leonhard and Brodney Pool back, but we do a pretty good job of trying to bring in guys and see maybe what’s down the road.”